Perl in MATLAB

Get MATLAB to reference a second Perl installation.

When I updated a local MATLAB install to 2016a, I ran into the same problem with Math::Random. In this post, I wrote about how I fixed MATLAB for use of a local Perl install. (I found it, again, when searching for a solution to this problem!) But, this fix didn’t work again so I set out to uncover a new working solution.

Perl in MATLAB

When running a piece of MATLAB code that called a Perl function, I would receive the following error:
Error using perl (line 79)
System error: Can't locate Math/Random.pm in @INC (@INC contains: C:/Program
Files/MATLAB/R2016a/sys/perl/win32/site/lib C:/Program Files/MATLAB/R2016a/sys/perl/win32/lib .) at rg.pl line 3.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at rg.pl line 3.
Command executed: perl rg.pl -t t -n 20

MATLAB was referencing an internal Perl installation that did not have the Random.pm module. I needed to install that module. Here’s what I tried:

I located the built-in MATLAB Perl (an ActivePerl install) installation. I attempted to use it’s built-in CPAN tool and the built-in PPM tool. Neither were successful.

I went and got the ActivePerl installer for the architecture. I installed it and then ran the CPAN tool associated with this Perl installation; it worked this time. From the CPAN terminal installation, I typed this install Math::Random and installed the missing packages.

I made sure the path was in the correct order via my previous solution–just in case.

Conclusion

With a previous solution not working, I set about finding a new one. I learned the use of the MATLAB command ‘fullfile’ and got a working Perl install to be recognized in 2016a. I ensured that my new Perl install recognized the proper module that I required. My code now runs flawlessly.

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